HISTORY OF MOTHER'S DAY & POEMS OF THE HEART FOR MOMS

Honoring mothers goes back at least as far as the 17th-century England that celebrated and continues to celebrate on Sundays once a year.   

Mother's Day in the United States originated in 1872 with Julia Ward Howe, a writer, abolitionist, and suffragist who wrote the words to "Battle Hymn of the Republic."  In 1911, President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday.  In 2010, Mother's Day will be celebrated on May 9th.   In the United States alone, there are approximately 82.8 million moms of all ages  (from www.infoplease.com).

At the urging of Anna Jarvis of Grafton, West Virginia, Mother's Day was first celebrated on a large scale on May 10, 1908.  Here is its history:

A day called Mothering Sunday originated in England many years ago.  It took place in the middle of the Lenten (pre-Easter) season each year.  Julia Ward-Lowe, the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and suffragette, first suggested a Mother's Day in the United States in 1872.  She thought the day should be dedicated to the observance of peace.  For several years, she held annual observances of the day in Boston, but it did not gain national support.  In 1887, a Kentucky teacher named Mary Towles Sasseen began annual Mother's Day celebrations, and in 1904, Frank E. Hering of Indiana did the same.  But it was not until three years later that the interest was ignited in Anna Jarvis, and she began a campaign for the national observance of the holiday.  She selected the second Sunday in May for the celebration.  In May of 1908, churches in Grafton and Philadelphia began the tradition.  A Grafton church devoted its service to the memory of Jarvis' mother, Anna Reeves Jarvis. 

The Methodist Episcopalian church to which Anna Jarvis belonged designated her as the founder of Mother's Day at a conference in 1912, and the conference also adopted her chosen date of the second Sunday in May for the observance.  In May of 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution recommending that government recognize and observe Mother's Day, and in 1915, it was declared a national holiday.

Anna Jarvis began one more Mother's Day tradition.  On the first Mother's Day, she wore a carnation in memory of her mother.  Traditionally, people wear colored carnations if their mothers are living and white if they are not (Teachers Creative Resources #2100).

 POEMS OF THE HEART FOR MOMS

You can see it in their eyes,
in tender hugs and long good-byes,
a love that only moms and daughters know.

You can see it in their smiles,
through passing years and changing styles,
a friendship that continually seems to grow.

You can see it in their lives,
the joy each one of them derives,
in just knowing that the other one is there...

To care and to understand,
lend an ear or hold a hand,
and to celebrate the memories they share.

Once upon a memory
Someone wiped away a tear
Held me close and loved me,
Thank you, Mother dear.

 Mom, I loved you yesterday, I love you tomorrow and everyday.
You were there for me my first day of school, to hold my hand and give me courage to go.
You listened to me when I needed to talk, you talked to me when I needed to listen.
You let me grow and learn from my own mistakes.
You never left my side when I was feeling down, I knew you would be there to pick me up.
I wish there was a way I could repay all the things you have done for me,
but there's nothing great enough to repay the greatest mother of all.

 Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day
With little time to stop and pray
For life's been anything but calm
Since You called on me to be a mom
Running errands, matching socks
Building dreams with building blocks
Cooking, cleaning, and finding shoes
And other stuff that children lose
Fitting lids on bottled bugs
Wiping tears and giving hugs
A stack of last weeks mail to read
So where's the quiet time I need?
Yet when I steal a minute, Lord
Just at the sink or ironing board
To ask the blessings of Your grace
I see then, in my small one's face
That you have blessed me
All the while
And I stop to kiss
That precious smile

 Another Mother's Day is here,
Bringing joy and pleasures new,
On this special day, Mother dear,
I want to remember you.
I cannot give you costly gifts,
And I've told you this before,
No matter what I give to you,
You give back much, much more.
I'm giving you a pure, sweet rose,
Gathered in the early morn,
This rose you planted in my heart,
The day that I was born.
In kindly, loving thoughts of you,
And with the faith you still impart,
The rose I give to you today,
Is the love that's in my heart.

 Mothers Who are No Longer Among Us

In tears we saw you sinking,
And watched you pass away.
Our hearts were almost broken,
We wanted you to stay.
But when we saw you sleeping,
So peaceful, free from pain,
How could we wish you back with us,
To suffer that again.
It broke our hearts to lose you,
But you did not go alone,
For part of us went with you,
The day God took you home. 

If Roses grow in Heaven,
Lord please pick a bunch for me,
Place them in my Mother's arms
and tell her they're from me.
Tell her I love her and miss her,
and when she turns to smile,
place a kiss upon her cheek
and hold her for awhile.
Because remembering her is easy,
I do it every day,
but there's an ache within my heart
that will never go away.

 Don't think of her as gone away
Her journey's just begun
Life holds so many facets
This earth is only one
Just think of her as resting
From the sorrows and the tears
In a place of warmth and comfort
Where there are no days and years
Think how she must be wishing
That we could know, today
Now nothing but our sadness
Can really pass away
And think of her as living
In the hearts of those she touched
For nothing loved is ever lost
And she is loved so very much.

Anonymous

Poetry courtesy of Freebiesandstuff.com

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE MOTHERLY ADVICE OR TELL US A FAVORITE  FROM YOUR MOM

E-mail us at contactus@silkflowersgallery.com  to vote or tell us your mom's favorite saying.

___  Don't stand on a swivel chair

___  Always wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident

___  Don't put that in your mouth. You don't know where it has been.

___  Mind your manners

___  You can't regret what you don't say

___  Don't cross your eyes they may stay that way

___  Yours would be?

Tell us why your mom is so special to you or tell us what is your most cherished memory of your mom as you were growing up.

If we get some really good responses, we will, with your permission, put results on our site! 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOMS OF THE WORLD!